The Capital Fringe Fest & Hip Hop Theater Festival Begin this Week!

"We are here to show you that DC is more than a municipality filled with institutions that import artists to exhibit or bring down last year’s broadway hit. We are here to show you that we are a city filled with innovators."

The quote above can be found on the Capital Fringe Fest's welcome page as you are greeted with the notion that this year's fest is going to innovative, filled with talent from the nation's capital, and, always, filled with productions that are by no means mainstream. Hence, the term "fringe". The Capital Fringe Festival is about performance art that is eclectic, artistic and accessible. You can find out more by visitin the website http://www.capfringe.org/.

Some of the acts in this year's Fringe Fest we hope you check out are below:

Deconstructing the Myth of the Booty

Of course Liberated Muse is biased towards the Saartjie Project. Five of the members of the Saartjie Project are members of the Liberated Muse online network @ http://www.liberatedmuse.com/, including Liberated Muse co-founder, Khadijah Ali-Coleman. But aside from the bias, the Washington Post has also identified the Saartjie Project's "Deconstructing the Myth of the Booty" as a must-see show out of the 100+ performances showcased in this year's festival. Click HERE to get details about the Saartjie Project show. Click HERE to read the Washington Post article.

Headscarf & the Angry Bitch

Zed Headscarf performs a tongue-in-cheek romp through faith and growing up Muslim in America. Featuring hits like 'The Only Thing I'll Do Five Times a Day is You' and 'I Lost My Virginity During Ramadan.' With the US' growing international wars with people in other nations who are often of the Islam faith, this performance is guaranteed to be a boundary-stretching adventure as we confront our ethnocentric views and prejudices often perpetuated through the media. Get ticket info HERE.

So Do You Love Me Yet?

Liberated Muse member, Farah Lawal, who is also featured in our book Liberated Muse Volume I: How I Freed My Soul examines relationships and love in her one-woman show "So Do You Love Me Yet?" This 70-minute show weaves storytelling and spoken word into an enthralling show by Lawal who has appeared in a multitude of stage shows, most recently the play "Native Son". "Farah Lawal brings unexpected tenderness and devotion to Bigger's lover, Clara," said one Washington Post review of her performance in Native Son. Read the review HERE.

Watch Farah in the video below and visit HERE to purchase tickets to her show:

Hip-Hop Theater Festival

Founded in 2000, The Hip-Hop Theater Festival continues to invigorate the fields of theater and Hip-Hop by: nurturing the creation of innovative work within the Hip-Hop aesthetic; presenting and touring American and international artists whose work addresses the issues relevant to the Hip-Hop generation; and serving young, urban communities through outreach and education that celebrates contemporary language and culture.

In each of its Festival cities, New York City, Washington D.C., Chicago and San Francisco, The Hip-Hop Theater Festival presents live events created by artists who stretch, invent and combine a variety of theatrical forms, including theater, dance, spoken word and live music sampling. Through open submissions and aggressive curating both nationally and internationally, the Hip-Hop Theater Festival is fully dedicated to finding, developing and introducing to the public new artistic creations from a diversity of cultures and points of view.

The DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities and Hip-Hop Theater Festival is proud to present all events free of charge this year as the festival hits Washington DC. Online reservations are required, however, for many of the events are already filled to capacity already. Last night's Howard Zinn show at the Kennedy Center was filled to capacity in a very short time, leaving many guests who arrived later to search for something else to do for the night because they couldn't get in.

Here are some FAMILY-FRIENDLY choices we want to check-out this week:

THURSDAY, JULY 9
7 PM :: Zomo the Rabbit: A Hip-Hop Creation MythWritten and Directed by Psalmayene 24Originally Commissioned by Imagination StagePremiere performance January 24, 2009

Zomo the Rabbit in search of wisdom

Set in our Nation's Capital, Zomo is a contemporary, high-energy take on an African tale. Zomo the Rabbit calls the Sky God (on his cell phone) requesting the ultimate prize of wisdom. The Sky God gives him three tasks and Zomo succeeds in trickster fashion, but it's only by sharing the prize that he invents Hip-Hop, leading all the characters to celebrate their culture together. Enjoyed by Ages 4+. THEARC Theater :: 1901 Mississippi Avenue, SENOTE: For Thursday, July 9 performance, HHTF Shuttle Van running from Southern Avenue, Green Line Stop from 6 PM – 7 PM

SATURDAY, JULY 11
12 PM :: Step Into a World
Open House :: ALL AGES WELCOME

Each year this event welcomes families, community leaders, local artists, and young people out east of the river to enjoy some of the art and music created by the students of the DC Urban Arts Academy. This year, Words Beats & Life is inviting several local organizations, community groups, and programs to come showcase their programs. Throughout the day there will be interactive workshops in arts & crafts, Hip-Hop history, chess, a b-boy/b-girl exhibition, an interactive student art exhibition and performances, all for ages 6 and up. For more information email Ayana Patrick or call 202-667-1192. Benning Park Recreation Center :: 5100 53rd Street, SE (@ Fitch Street

Visit the Website HERE

The Liberated Muse Weekend Was a Hit!

This past weekend on June 19 and June 20, members of the Liberated Muse community joined forces to kick-off the celebration of the new book "Liberated Muse Volume I: How I Freed My Soul".

On Fri, June 19, actress Farah Lawal and poets Maureen Mulima & Margaux Delotte-Bennett shared readings from the book while musical guests James Terrell, Dee Stone, Gary Young, Quiniece Clarkson and Anonamas entertained the crowd with their musical prowess. The event was also a benefit show raising money for four students who are scholarship recipients from the DC College Success Foundation. Although, they are set to receive an Achievers Scholarship, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, these students are not helped with the up front costs such as housing deposits and enrollment fees necessary to even begin school and utilize the scholarship. Almost $400 was raised to on June 19 to assist with these costs.

(In photo: Dee Stone @ the Artomatic)

On Sat, June 20, Liberated Muse took the show to the Artomatic in DC. Performer Teisha Marie joined Farah Lawal, Gary Young and Quineice Clarkson for this hour-long show as the crowd learned about the new book and the upcoming Capital Hip Hop Soul Fest.

(In photo: Farah Lawal @ the Artomatic)

If you missed it, don't worry. You can catch us on Fri, July 3 @ the Artomatic as we kick off the 4th of July weekend!

(In photo: Quineice Clarkson and Gary Young @ the Artomatic)

Visit the network at http://www.liberatedmuse.com/ to view more photos from both shows at the Potter's House and the Artomatic.

Make sure you buy the book "Liberated Muse Volume I: How I Freed My Soul" by clicking HERE

TODAY!!!!!

Join Liberated Muse for Fun-Packed Weekend (Fri & Sat)

Mark your calendars for a Liberated Muse weekend which kicks off on June 19 @ the Potter's House in DC. Celebrating the publishing of the first anthology in the Liberated Muse Volume series, there will be live music performances accenting the readings of pieces from the book.

Featured performers include Dee Stone, James Terrell, Anonamas, Gary Young, Quiniece Clarkson, Farah Lawal and more!

On June 20, catch a continuation of the celebration festivities at the Artomatic arts festival in DC. This time you will catch a recap of some of the performers above with original works performed by writer Alan King who is also May's Liberated Muse member of the month.

A can't miss weekend!

Email us at LiberatedMuseProductions@gmail.com for more information. We will post more info as we get closer to the dates!

Farah Lawal in "Women, Words and Power!"

Farah Lawal is one of the most talented actresses I've ever worked with. I have had the pleasure of sharing the stage with her as we are both members of the artist collective The Saartjie Project. Farah has been the epitome of professionalism as she has mentored all of us on the key elements of theatre and the fundamentals that enhance a passionate performance.

Farah is a UMD theatre graduate and will be performing some of her poetry on November 1st at 3 pm and 7:30 pm at a program called "Women, Words and Power!"

It will take place at Playbill Cafe in Washington DC, which is located at 1409 14th Street NW (at the corner of 14th & P St NW).

The program is associated with The Essential Theatre and will feature Farah and 8 female spoken word artists and a group of female drummers.

The tickets are $20 and can be purchased at the door. Support this program!